Risks of AI Deception in Business

🧾 Employees using AI to create fraudulent expense receipts 🤖 Fake or otherwise malicious “candidates” using Deepfake to hide their true identity on remote interviews until they get far enough in the process to hack your data 🎣 AI-powered phishing scams that are more sophisticated than ever Over the past few months, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that this is our new reality. AI is here, and it is more powerful than ever. And HR professionals who continue to bury their head in the sand or stand by while “enabling” others without actually educating themselves are going to unleash serious risks and oversights across their company. Which means that HR professionals looking to stay on top of the increased risk introduced by AI need to lean into curiosity, education, and intentionality. For the record: I’m not anti-AI. AI has and will continue to help increase output, optimize efficiencies, and free up employees’ time to work on creative and energizing work instead of getting bogged down and burnt out by mind numbing, repetitive, and energy draining work. But it’s not without its risks. AI-powered fraud is real, and as HR professionals, it’s our jobs to educate ourselves — and our employees — on the risks involved and how to mitigate it. Not sure where to start? Consider the following: 📚 Educate yourself on the basics of what AI can do and partner with your broader HR, Legal, and #Compliance teams to create a plan to knowledge share and stay aware of new risks and AI-related cases of fraud, cyber hacking, etc (could be as simple as starting a Slack channel, signing up for a newsletter, subscribing to an AI-focused podcast — you get the point) 📑 Re-evaluate, update, and create new policies as necessary to make sure you’re addressing these new risks and policies around proper and improper AI usage at work (I’ll link our AI policy template below) 🧑💻 Re-evaluate, update, and roll out new trainings as necessary. Your hiring managers need to be aware of the increase in AI-powered candidate fraud we’re seeing across recruitment, how to spot it, and who to inform. Your employees need to know about the increased sophistication of #phishing scams and how to identify and report them For anyone looking for resources to get you started, here are a few I recommend: AI policy template: https://lnkd.in/e-F_A9hW AI training sample: https://lnkd.in/e8txAWjC AI phishing simulators: https://lnkd.in/eiux4QkN What big new scary #AI risks have you been seeing?

AI PR Nightmares Part 2: When AI Clones Voices, Faces, and Authority. What Happened: Last week, a sophisticated AI-driven impersonation targeted White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. An unknown actor, using advanced AI-generated voice cloning, began contacting high-profile Republicans and business leaders, posing as Wiles. The impersonator requested sensitive information, including lists of potential presidential pardon candidates and even cash transfers. The messages were convincing enough that some recipients engaged before realizing the deception. Wiles’ personal cellphone contacts were reportedly compromised, giving the impersonator access to a network of influential individuals. This incident underscores a huge growing threat: AI-generated deepfakes are becoming increasingly realistic and accessible, enabling malicious actors to impersonate individuals with frightening accuracy. From cloned voices to authentic looking fabricated videos, the potential for misuse spans politics, finance, and way beyond. And it needs your attention now. 🔍 The Implications for PR and Issues Management: As AI-generated impersonations become more prevalent, organizations must proactively address the associated risks as part of their ongoing crisis planning. Here are key considerations: 1. Implement New Verification Protocols: Establish multi-factor authentication for communications, especially those involving sensitive requests. Encourage stakeholders to verify unusual requests through secondary channels. 2. Educate Constituents: Conduct training sessions to raise awareness about deepfake technologies and the signs of AI-generated impersonations. An informed network is a critical defense. 3. Develop a Deepfakes Crisis Plan: Prepare for potential deepfake incidents with a clear action plan, including communication strategies to address stakeholders and the public promptly. 4. Monitor Digital Channels: Utilize your monitoring tools to detect unauthorized use of your organization’s or executives’ likenesses online. Early detection and action can mitigate damage. 5. Collaborate with Authorities: In the event of an impersonation, work closely with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to investigate and respond effectively. ———————————————————— The rise of AI-driven impersonations is not a distant threat, it’s a current reality and only going to get worse as the tech becomes more sophisticated. If you want to think and talk more about how to prepare for this and other AI related PR and issues management topics, follow along here with my series or DM if I can help your organization prepare or respond.

As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries, bad actors are also evolving—using generative AI to orchestrate increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. TRM Labs' latest article, "AI-Enabled Fraud: How Scammers are Exploiting Generative AI", dives into real-world cases of how scammers are using AI for phishing, deepfake scams, identity fraud, and social engineering. Why This Matters for Compliance and Onboarding Professionals: AI-generated fake IDs and synthetic identities make traditional KYC measures vulnerable. Compliance teams must evaluate the robustness of their verification systems and explore layered, AI-driven authentication solutions. If your risk models don’t account for AI-fueled tactics, they’re outdated. Understanding how threat actors are using LLMs and AI image generation is crucial to proactively updating internal risk policies. First impressions are critical. Fraudulent actors are getting smarter at mimicking legitimate users. A misstep at onboarding can lead to downstream violations and increased exposure. We are in an era where combating fraud will increasingly rely on deploying AI to detect AI-generated deception. https://lnkd.in/e39xKPbn